Top Chinese official praises Lam for stabilizing Hong Kong

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam received credit from a top Chinese official on Friday for restoring order and reviving the economy in the semi-autonomous territory.

Vice Premier Han Zheng, meeting Lam on the last day of her four-day visit to Beijing, said that her government had “overcome all kinds of difficulties and dealt with the challenges.”

Hong Kong was wracked by protests last year demanding fully democratic elections and opposing China's expanding influence in city affairs. Lam, who was picked as leader by a committee dominated by pro-Beijing members, was accused of being too close to the central government.

China responded by enacting a national security law for Hong Kong earlier this year that has curtailed the protests, which were already dwindling because of COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings.

Han, one of seven members of the ruling Communist Party's top leadership body, praised Lam's government for its handling of the pandemic, easing the economic burden on the population, implementing the national security law and protecting the stability of Hong Kong.

Lam was accompanied by several top city officials, which she said demonstrates the breadth of Hong Kong's integration into China's national development.

She was heading to Guangdong, the southern province that borders Hong Kong, later Friday for economic talks on the Greater Bay Area, a region that also includes nearby Macao.